When asked to talk about yourself, how do you describe YOU?
Are you a father or mother? Are you a brother or sister? Are you an entrepreneur or an employee? Are you a wife or husband? A friend? Are you outgoing or an introvert? An athlete?
There are many easy ways to describe yourself, especially how we relate to others in our lives. There are also identities you can choose.
Are you a reader? A binge watcher of Netflix? A foodie? A gardener? A walker? A runner?
Choosing to be a runner was one of the hardest identities for me to choose. I would say things like, “I am not a runner… I am not born to run.” When I first started running, I did not identify as a runner. I thought, “ I do not look like a runner. I am too fat. I am too slow.”
Over time I ran. I did races… 5Ks…. 10Ks… a half marathon… a full marathon. I ran two or three days a week with a group of runners and still did not identify as a runner. Yet I continued to run.
Others would describe me as a runner. Colleagues at work would call me ‘the marathoner’. I would say, “Anyone can run a marathon.” Which is true. Anyone CAN RUN A MARATHON.
Slowly, it became my identity. It became the reason I would wake up at 5 am or earlier to get a run in before work. It became the reason I would pack my sneakers and running clothes first, whenever I traveled for work or pleasure. It is the thing that keeps me running when at times, I would prefer to just binge watch a show on Netflix.
The identity of ‘runner’ has given me so much. It has taught be the value of planning… patience… adaptability… endurance…perseverance… forgiveness.
What is your identity and what does it mean to you? What do you want to be? There are identities to choose.
Why not try the identity of ‘runner’. See where it will takes you…
